


What if

by szczepter



Series: UA: Universe Alternations [1]
Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Basically, Gen, teiko comfort fic, they met earlier, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-05
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2018-03-21 09:45:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3687597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/szczepter/pseuds/szczepter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if their paths crossed earlier?</p>
            </blockquote>





	What if

**Author's Note:**

> Teiko confort fic take one, maybe I'll do more bc I had a more elaborate headcaon which I wanna use. Also inb4 yes I know Kagami came back for his thrid year of middle school on first but bear with me

The sun is already setting when he leaves the school grounds. He's the last one, as always, but he stopped caring about that a long time ago. Actually going home so late and alone was always sort of calming. He could relax his aching body after the grueling practice (He _was_ making progress. H was _certain_.) and clear his mind. He would always text Ogiwara-kun, if Ogiwara-kun hadn't texted him already.

 

No matter how down he felt, those messages would always lift his spirits even a little bit. He could manage. He could. And he would.

 

Today however, he feared for the first time that he wouldn't.

 

Before he knew he was at the empty court. His mind was numb and his legs carried him here on their own accord for some reason.

 

Taking a deep breath to calm himself was a bad idea because suddenly, he feels tears prickling his eyes and he chokes on a sob as he slides down to his knees, forehead pressed to the metal pole of the hoop. Its cold touch is not comforting in the slightest, even if he feels his face burn for some reason.

 

"What...I don't know what should I do anymore." He heaves a shuddering breath and lets the hot tears roll down his face. There's no one to see and frankly he can't be bothered right now.

It's a few minutes later when he feels something slam in the back of his head and in turn he hits his forehead hard on the metal pole. He lets out a choked squeak, mostly from surprise but from pain too and falls down on his behind.

 

"Shit! Are you okay?" He hears a voice and then frantic footsteps. Rubbing his forehead he turns around, but doesn't really have the time to look up to see the person who hit him, because in the next moment there is a worried face next to his.

 

"Shit. Sorry, I didn't see you. I just threw my ball like an idiot. Let me see." He feels a hand pry his palm from his sore forehead and then another ruffling his hair and swiping gently the sore area on his forehead.

 

Tetsuya winces a little and then the boy jerks his hand back.

 

"Sorry. Where did you even came from anyway?" Tetsuya blinks a few times, the pain fading away into a dull ache.

 

"I was here the whole time." He says and watches as the boy blinks in confusion.

 

"What." He says bewildered and then grabs him by the shoulders and helps him stand up.

 

"Whatever." He dismisses and goes to grab his ball. Tetsuya only now sees it laying innocently by the bench, where it rolled off.

 

"Anyway, what are you doing here so late? Shouldn't you be at home or something?" Kuroko blinks taken a back.

 

"Excuse me, but I don't follow."

 

The tall (Tetsuya only now realized that he's almost 2 meters tall) boy blinks at him.

 

"What? I mean kids should be at home after dark." Kuroko feels annoyed.

 

"Excuse me, but I'm not a child. I was merely walking from school and I wanted some peace."

 

The boy blinks again.

 

"You mean you're not five or something?" He sighs in frustration.

 

"No, I'm a middle school student. Now if you'll excuse me." He retreats back to the pole to collect his bag. He must have dropped it when the stranger hit him with a basketball (of _all_ the things).

 

He picks it up and then sees the letter from Ogiwara-kun. Suddenly he remembers why is he here in the first place. He sniffs quietly and rubs his face. It's a little sticky from his tears, so he rummages for a tissue but can't find one.

 

"Here." The stranger suddenly appears behind him and gives him his own handkerchief. Kuroko hesitates for a moment but then accepts with a quiet thank you and after wiping his face he blows his nose, not really thinking that it can seem impolite. The stranger however doesn't say anything but merely watches him curiously.

 

Tetsuya is so exhausted that he almost gives the dirty cloth back, but the boy just shrugs.

 

"Keep it." Kuroko nods and hides it in his pocket. He has a feeling he might use it again.

 

"Thank you very much." He mumbles.

 

"Yeah sure no problem." They stay silent for a moment, Tetsuya trying to compose himself and deal with the slight embarrassment he feels. Taking a deep breath and decides that it is time to say goodbye when the tall boy speaks.

 

"So uh, who is it?" Kuroko blinks confused. "I mean, the people who bully you." Kuroko stares at him for a long moment and then notices that the boy grows more and more uncomfortable.

 

"Ah, no it's no one, there is no one." He hastily explains. "Just some problems at school, that's all." He shrugs and his gaze lands on the ball in the boy's hands. He notices and shifts the ball in his hands.

 

"You play?" Kuroko blinks and then smiles sadly.

 

"You could say that." There is an amused snort.

 

"What kind of answer is that? You play or you don't." Such simple outlook on life, Kuroko

thinks as he sighs.

 

"Yes, yes I do. A little." He admits. He feels very tired.

 

"Ah so you're a beginner."

 

"You could say that."

 

"Cool." The boy grins and it looks a little forced, Tetsuya notes, but there is something nice in

it, comforting. Like little rays of sun try to come out.

 

"I need to go." He finally says. The boy blinks.

 

"Ah yeah sure." He nods and Tetsuya nods back and leaves.

 

* * *

 

 

Tetsuya takes a gamble, and two days later, where there is no club goes to the same basketball court. The chance of meeting the boy from before is almost nonexistent, but for some reason Tetsuya stays hopeful.

 

And his hope is rewarded when he enters the court and is met with the most impressive dunk he has ever seen.

 

He stays in the entryway for a while, just observing. The boy is extremely talented, that much is obvious. He has the built for the sport and the passion, but despite all this he doesn’t look happy or excited when he plays and Kuroko becomes curious why.

 

“Hello.” He says when the boy crouches down to tie his shoes. He watches with interest as he flails and falls hard on the ground.

 

“Jesus Christ!” He shouts in English. Tetsuya cocks his head to the side when he looks at him.

 

“Oh. It’s you.” Kuroko merely blinks. The boy stands up and dusts his pants. He eyes him warily.

 

“You’re not gonna cry again are you?” Tetsuya can’t help but chuckle at that.

 

“No. No, I won’t don’t worry. I just wanted to see if I’ll find you here. I wanted to give it back.” He says and pulls out the handkerchief. The boy blinks surprised.

 

“Oh that. Uh, thanks.” He takes it and hides it in his pocket. After that they stare at each other for a moment in not really awkward but not really comfortable silence either. It prompts Tetsuya to speak.

 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Kuroko Tetsuya.” He says and bows a little. 

“Um, Taiga. I mean, shit. Kagami. Kagami Taiga. Nice to meet you Tet- I mean Kuroko.” He rubs the back of his neck and Tetsuya smiles a little. It’s not like he would mind being called by first his first name, but the way the boy – Kagami-kun – corrected himself was very amusing. Sort of endearing.

 

“Fuck this is weird. The Japanese way of introducing yourself confuses me.”

 

“Are you not Japanese?” Kuroko asks.

 

“Nah, I am, I just lived in the States for the last seven years so it’s hard to adjust.”

 

“Oh I see.” Kagami-kun nods. “Did you play basketball there?” Kuroko notes that his face suddenly falls at the mention of the sport.

 

“Yeah, I did. But I had to come here so I don’t know if I’m gonna play more.”

 

“Do you want to?” Kagami eyes him again. “I am merely making small talk, please don’t get mad.” He sighs.

 

“It’s cool. Just not want to think about it for now.” Kuroko nods. He makes up his mind then, nothing more for him to do here.

 

“Say, Kuroko.” Tetsuya pauses. “You wanna play? For awhile?” He cocks his head to the side.

 

“Kagami-kun is interesting.” He muses. “He doesn’t want to talk about basketball because something related to basketball bothers him, yet he still wants to play it.” He says and watches as Kagami sputters and turns a little red.

 

“Shut up. I just don’t have anything to do okay? So do you wanna play or not?” He dribbles the ball a few times and without waiting for Kuroko’s reply runs up to the basket.

 

They play for a while and it is obvious that the game is uneven, but Kagami never once goes easy on him. They play mostly in silence, but it is actually pretty comfortable this time around.

 

“Man, you really do suck.” Kagami says as they rests on the bench. Tetsuya breathes heavily and is about to respond to that, but then Kagami continues.

 

“But, I don’t know. It was sort of fun.” Kuroko blinks and wipes the sweat out of his forehead.

 

“Yes.” He sighs. “Although I don’t know why. Kagami-kun is already a great player, and I’m inadequate.” Kagami simply laughs.

 

“If you think I’m great then you would simply go nuts if you ever saw my bro- um I mean friend from America.” Kuroko tilts his head to the side. Kagami’s laugh is nice and warm and he has to wonder why the mention of a friend, or was that brother?, suddenly made him gloomy.

 

“Do you have a brother Kagami-kun?”

 

“You could say that.” He unconsciously echoed Kuroko’s own words from a few days before and it made his lip twitch in a little smile.

 

“Either you have or you don’t.” He joked back but Kagami only smiled weakly.

 

“I guess I don’t then. He is...was a friend and like a brother to me. He taught me basketball.” He shrugged. “That’s all.”

 

“I see.” Tetsuya hummed and then tentatively spoke again. “Is he the reason you don’t want to think about it yet still want to play?”

 

Pause.

 

“Yeah.” Tetsuya nodded.

 

“I also have someone like that.” Well not really. He and Ogiwara-kun were still friends and still talked. The similarity was in the fact that he also taught him the sport, but for some reason he felt like Kagami needed to hear that it wasn’t only his problem. And that he wasn’t alone.  

 

He looked at Tetsuya briefly and nodded, before returning his attention back to the horizon. The sun was slowly setting.

 

The silence was comforting again.

 

“Basketball sure is fun.” Kuroko said suddenly, startling Kagami out of his thoughts.

 

“Y-yeah.” He answered. “It is.”

 

They continued to watch the sunset.

 

* * *

 

 

Taiga liked to poke Tetsuya in his forehead sometimes when he was sulking and then plant a quick kiss there. Tetsuya would always wrinkle his nose in displeasure and headbutt him lightly in the chin.

 

“Sorry, did that hurt?” Taiga would ask, knowing very well the answer.

 

“No.” Tetsuya would answer with a huff before he tucked his head under Kagami’s chin and let him hold him close.

 

It was true. He didn’t mind a little pain if it meant he would endure in the end.

 

Because he would.

 

 

 

 


End file.
